Tonya Neff Klause '93

Tonya Neff Klause manages Communications and Public Relations for Microsoft’s U.S. Health, Government and Education business; a roughly $4 Billion business for Microsoft, one of the world’s largest and most renown organizations.

Twice recognized as the Top Marketing Contributor in a five-year period, Klause is also part of the Senior Leader “Bench” program, a high-potential select-leadership program for the top 4% of talent across the company.

Reflecting on her time at Messiah and in the Department of Management & Business, Klause says: “I appreciated the breadth and depth of training we received from knowledgeable, committed faculty and leaders. Although each had their own style, we were challenged towards excellence in study and a deepening commitment to faith in God and service of others. The Department of Management & Business provided a needed foundation for me in the world of Marketing on which my internships, ancillary experiences, graduate school immersion and ultimately career path could nicely build."

What Our Alumni Say about their Messiah Business Education

(some comments from our recent business alumni survey)

"My education at Messiah equipped me with exceptional skills in information systems that have benefited me in several different positions. I also feel like I have been able to critically evaluate the operations of the non-profits I have worked for and bring a positive perspective into those settings."

"I now have a Biblical view of business. It is very important to be able to handle ethical issues that arise. I also appreciated the smaller class size. I think that this enhances the educational experience."

"The IBI trip was the most influential semester in terms of my personal and academic development. One the strengths of a Messiah education is that students are encouraged to look beyond their local environment to engage the world at large."

"Messiah's class structure and size allowed for a lot of teamwork/group activity and interaction in the classroom that was priceless."

"Without a doubt the greatest strength to my business education was the faculty insight and generosity to share their wisdom with students. I still greatly appreciate the time they took to answer questions and just to show interest in us as people. They were also great at encouraging students to further explore their areas of interest. The second greatest strength was the opportunity to study abroad where I learned a tremendous amount about myself, my topics of study, and the global community."

"The faculty members were exciting, well-informed, concerned about current events, and available."

"The professors see potential in you and work with you to help overcome your weaknesses."

"Our professors not only taught technical theories or topics but also taught application. I learned how to be an accountant."

"I don't know of any local accounting firm that does not want to look at Messiah for premier accounting talent."

"The diversity of classes (finance, stats, business law, HR, graphic design, econ, etc.) gave me knowledge in several areas. I felt I was well rounded in comparison to other people at my place of employment."

"My business education at Messiah has allowed me to better approach my work environment with a Servant's Heart and to rely on the fact that God has called me to my specific occupation."

"It helped me to better see the world through Christian eyes."

"Many friends from schools had a difficult transition, but my transition into working full-time was not very difficult. As well, I was well prepared to pass the CPA exam on my first attempt."

"I was a transfer student from **** University. All of the courses there covered 2/3 the material that was covered at Messiah. This made the courses at Messiah more informative and gave a sense of being immersed in the course content. The courses give what appears to be a full picture of the topic instead of what the instructor happens to think is important. Also, the Messiah instructors genuinely care for the student. My experience with professors at state universities, during both my undergraduate career and graduate career, is that they really care for the course and are not as interested in the student transforming into a more educated, caring, capable human being. Messiah faculty have the opposite approach. I felt as though I was being transformed by the work of God through the professors into something new and exciting."

~M&B Alum

Without a doubt the greatest strength to my business education was the faculty insight and generosity to share their wisdom with students. I still greatly appreciate the time they took to answer questions and just to show interest in us as people. They were also great at encouraging students to further explore their areas of interest. The second greatest strength was the opportunity to study abroad where I learned a tremendous amount about myself, my topics of study, and the global community.

~M&B Alum

The diversity of classes (finance, stats, business law, HR, graphic design, econ, etc.) gave me knowledge in several areas. I felt I was well rounded in comparison to other people at my place of employment.

~M&B Alum

Messiah provided an extremely well-rounded business education. I felt far and above more prepared than my colleagues who attended other institutions. Additionally, the infusion of faith in our curriculum helped me deal with the worldly challenges of the workplace.